Chapter 29: Finding a Way, No Matter What
'What's going on?'
Yu Gyeongseong and Beopjin, who were sitting around the fire, suddenly looked in the sa direction at the exact sa ti. It might have been a trivial action, but the Guild Master managed to capture that fleeting mont shared between the two.
A chilling wind swept through the camp, as if warning them of the trial that was about to co crashing down on them. The campfire flickered ominously in the gust.
Just then, one of the rchants who'd been tending to the cals ca running over in a panic.
The Guild Master was already on edge from that mont of unease and imdiately questioned him.
"What's wrong?"
"The twin-humped Bactrian cals are acting strange, sir! The older ones are stretching their necks out and bellowing loudly, and they keep shoving their noses into the sand. I think..."
The crowd's faces hardened as they realized what was coming.
"A sandstorm is heading our way!"
The rchants and guards moved with haste.
"Take down the tents, now!"
"Tie down the supplies! Make sure everything's secure!"
"Bind the cals together!"
The wind that had been blowing suddenly began to accelerate at an alarming rate. Dust filled the air, growing thicker by the second.
Although it was a pitch-black night where nothing could be seen, Yu Gyeongseong could see it clearly.
Far in the distance, a massive storm was sweeping across the entire surface of the earth as it approached them. It looked like an entire mountain range was bearing down on them with unstoppable montum.
Beopjin spoke to the Guild Master.
"This is no ordinary sandstorm!"
Eyes widened in alarm at his words. They'd already felt sothing was seriously off, but now a master monk was confirming their worst fears.
"We're moving positions! Hurry up!"
Following the Guild Master's orders, the rchants and escort warriors quickly put distance between themselves and the large sand dune. They'd originally positioned themselves there to hide from potential scouts, but staying there now would an getting buried alive.
The storm hadn't even fully reached them yet, but grains of sand were already blasting on their faces. Everyone frantically wrapped cloth around their mouths, noses, and ears. If they didn't, they'd suffocate to death. Despite their efforts, sand still found its way through the gaps, piling around their eyes and ears.
Though the night was dark, everyone could now sense it clearly.
That massive force was right at their doorstep.
"Brace yourselves!"
People scrambled to tie themselves to heavy objects, checking the knots over and over again, and then they threw large sheets of cloth over themselves.
"......!!"
Soon, a deafening roar that made it impossible to distinguish between human screams and nature blanketed the space between heaven and earth.
The sandstorm tore through everything with the force of sothing that would swallow the world whole.
Humans and cals alike pressed their bodies into the ground, curled up as tight as possible.
In the midst of this, only one person stood upright and unyielding.
The sand flying at him like it had gone mad couldn't even leave a scratch on him.
Yu Gyeongseong faced the massive force calmly.
His vision was murky, as if thick fog had settled over everything, and the world was filled with nothing but sand.
This was truly a catastrophic force of nature. The scope of the storm's reach was absolutely vast.
[It’s a really extre place. It makes you painfully aware of human limits. You could say it’s where you clearly see the gap between the realm of the Divine and the Human.]
Is this power in the realm of the Divine?
It certainly felt that way.
If so, then...
'Can humans fight against a force of nature like this?'
Yu Gyeongseong looked down at the people curled up tightly around him. They were so weak, but he could feel a tough will to survive in them.
'...They'll make it through.'
If all that power was focused on one spot, he wouldn't have thought so. But the force was spread out widely enough to cover the entire horizon. That's why it was possible.
'...?'
Just then, as if mocking that very thought, the energy suddenly spiked.
Is this what it feels like if a giant takes a swing at you?
A wind so strong that words couldn't describe it slamd into them.
"......"
The tall sand dune in front of them crumbled and collapsed in an instant.
A tidal wave of sand rode the wind, crashing toward them.
It looked like it would sweep away the entire rchant caravan in one go. Despite all their efforts to move to a safer distance, none of it would matter.
How many of them would survive being buried under that?
[For what purpose did you learn martial arts? If sothing is easy for you but changes soone else’s whole life, then what reason is there not to do it?]
Yu Gyeongseong's eyes flashed.
Whoosh
Even in this chaos, his mind remained perfectly focused. And in response to that focus, an invisible massive barrier ford instantaneously right in front of the rchant group who were curled up and trembling and too scared to even think of doing anything.
CRASH
The giant’s hand smashed into the wall and broke apart.
Sand rained down everywhere and got picked up by the wind again, but it no longer had the sa devastating force as before.
No one could see what had happened.
Yu Gyeongseong simply stood there like that, in the center of all the huddled people.
***
"Ptoo! Looks like it's passed now, huh?"
One of the warriors spat sand from his mouth as he spoke. Even though he'd wrapped his face completely in cloth, sand had still word its way inside.
People began lifting their heads one by one.
The Guild Master and the head of the escort warriors imdiately started giving orders.
"Start the headcount!"
"Inspect the cals!"
"Check the supplies!"
They spent just as much ti running around checking things as they had spent hiding on the ground.
But surprisingly, there wasn't much damage at all. All the cals were fine too.
"Ugh... I thought we were gonna die! That was fucking terrifying..."
"No kidding. I thought we were totally screwed right at the end of the trip!"
They looked like beggars covered in sand, but they were grinning because they were alive.
But the veteran rchants and warriors who had more experience with the desert tilted their heads in confusion.
“How co... there’s barely any damage?”
Given how fierce it had been just monts ago, it wouldn't have been strange if most of the people and cals had been buried in sand or blown away. They felt incredibly fortunate, but it just didn't make sense.
That's when the Guild Master noticed their confusion and shouted out.
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s all thanks to the Zen Master’s sacred spiritual powers!”
Ears perked up at that.
Everyone looked at each other.
Oh... that must be it.
There was no other way to explain this situation.
Everyone gazed at Beopjin with eyes full of admiration and respect. The Guild Master felt the sa way and was secretly quite pleased with himself. He was patting himself on the back for having recognized the monk's greatness and inviting him to join their journey.
In the midst of all this, Beopjin was searching for soone.
His eyes t with Yu Gyeongseong, who'd been standing there quietly.
Beopjin’s gentle look seed to say sothing.
Well done. Isn't it nice to help the weak?
Sothing like that.
So Yu Gyeongseong nodded his head slightly in acknowledgnt.
Beopjin grinned like a mischievous kid, and Yu Gyeongseong shook his head gently, signaling not to ntion him.
The Guild Master had a point, after all.
Beopjin was the one who brought him here and convinced him to help, so Beopjin was the one who deserved their gratitude.
***
“Hey, you made it! So what did you think? How was it, experiencing the desert's true nature for the first ti?!"
The rchants were now acting like it had been no big deal.
Yu Gyeongseong turned his gaze from Beopjin and played along with exaggerated dramatics.
"Terrifying! I really thought we were done for."
"Yeah, yeah. It’s normal to feel that way your first ti. You’ll get used to it after a few storms!”
That seed a bit rich coming from people who'd all been curled up in balls of terror, but Yu Gyeongseong responded with a bright smile anyway.
"I'm just glad everyone's safe."
***
They couldn't set out imdiately since they had been through hell without even getting proper rest.
So they rested for a bit and waited until after sunrise to start packing up.
The rchants patted their cals as they loaded their cargoes.
“These guys are miraculous, I tell you. Not a single one died in that storm.”
You could hear how relieved and happy they were.
"They really are amazing."
The rchants seed pleased by Yu Gyeongseong's agreent and continued talking. "Cals have long and thick eyelashes. They can close their nostrils too. Plus, their ears are small and full of hair, so they can block out sand."
That's why they'd been fine without covering themselves with anything like the humans had to.
“Cals don't get tired easily. They can go a long ti without food or water thanks to the nutrients in their humps. And that's not all, their skin is so thick that they're fine even in the desert's extre temperature swings."
Which ant they required less care. Much more convenient for those raising them.
"Their legs are much longer compared to other animals. So say they evolved that way to keep their bodies farther from the hot ground. Sa with their feet, they're thick like shoe soles, so they don't sink into the sand easily. They’re basically built for the desert.”
Now that he heard it, it really did make sense.
There was a good reason why the Righteous Alliance had switched entirely to cals as their mode of transportation partway through. The fact that those cals had been driven so hard they collapsed from exhaustion really said sothing about the Sword God's attitude toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
'Why is he trying so hard to wipe out the Divine Cult?'
***
"Alright everyone, let's finish up and head out!"
They chatted while they worked, but they were fast. They were ready to go in no ti.
"We're moving out!"
Following the Guild Master's command, the caravan began to move.
The rchants didn't ride the cals this ti but walked across the desert on their own two feet.
“We have to ride during the day to stay away from the hot ground. But in the morning, the ground isn't hot yet, so we get off and walk. That way, we can go further.”
So that’s why they were rushing.
But...
'Is walking fast really the most important thing right now?'
The sandstorm changed the whole landscape.
Shouldn't they figure out which way to go so they don't waste their efforts?
Actually, wasting effort would be the least of their problems. If they weren't careful, everyone here could end up dead.
Yu Gyeongseong glanced at the Guild Master.
The man was scanning the horizon with narrowed eyes.
During the night, they hadn't been able to see the sky because of all the sand in the air, so they had no way to determine direction by looking at the constellations.
And right now, all they could figure out was the general direction from which the sun had risen.
Driven by curiosity, Yu Gyeongseong approached him and asked. "Can you find the way?"
The Guild Master turned to look at him. He seed to think it was a good question as he nodded with a serious expression.
"Humans will find a way sohow. No matter how harsh the environnt."
The Guild Master then raised his voice so everyone could hear.
"Don't worry! We'll definitely find our way to the next oasis."
A refreshing smile, one that didn't match their dire circumstances, hung upon the Guild Master's face. He just oozed confidence and calm.
Maybe that's why the rchants and guards didn't seem worried.
They saw this as just another problem they could solve.
"Thanks."
The Guild Master said quietly to Yu Gyeongseong. He had been wanting to boost morale, and Yu Gyeongseong had co at just the right ti. Thanks to that, he'd been able to reassure everyone that the journey was fine.
That must be why he felt generous enough to explain further.
“The terrain changes all the ti in the desert. Even without sandstorms, the wind is always blowing. That’s why they call it 'Flowing Sand.'”
He had a point.
When Yu Gyeongseong first entered the desert, what struck him was how the terrain seed still but was actually moving constantly.
“When you're looking for the way, you can't look at things that keep changing. If you do, you start doubting yourself. 'Wait, is this the right way?' Do that and your confidence starts crumbling. Once your certainty crumbles, uncontrollable fear sets in. Fear paralyzes reason, and then the situation spirals into catastrophe. That's why one of the most important qualities for soone leading a caravan is the ability to maintain cool judgnt and find the right path. And you have to give your companions confidence in that path. You need to make your people believe in you."
It was a role that had a massive impact on everyone's lives. The weight of that responsibility was hard to fully digest at once.
"Then, what must one look at?”
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